An electric vehicle, also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, is a moving vehicle using one or more electric motors as driving system. Unlike petroleum-based transportations which are moved by the energy from gasoline, the electric vehicles use electric power as their propulsion. They won't generate waste gas. Noise is also less. During the last few decades, increased concern over the environmental impact of the petroleum-based transportation, along with the spectre of peak oil, has led to renewed interest in electric transportation. Electric power for electric vehicles can be generated from a wide range of sources, including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable sources such as tidal power, solar power, and wind or any combination of those.
In the past, an electric vehicle consumes huge electric power due to their power system. The electric power can only be transmitted to the car through overhead lines. This infrastructure makes the electric vehicles impossible to be popular. Only some of public transportations have access to it. Routes of the public transportation are strictly limited by the lined arrangement. With the development in power systems of electric vehicles, especially in batteries, the electric vehicles become a future star and more and more sources are devoted in this field.
People are used to their existing life experience. Hence, a system for charging the batteries of the electric vehicles should be as convenient as a gas station system. When batteries of an electric car are in low battery, people can drive the car to a nearby charging station and get the batteries charged or replaced with full charged ones. Preferably, the batteries can be charged during off-peak period when cost of charge of electricity is lowest. Meanwhile, with a device to manage batteries that are used in the car, people can always know the status of the batteries and mechanics of the stations can trace the batteries for maintenance. Since the batteries are expensive, if the batteries are stolen and they can be easily found, it will be a great help for the car owners. However, the requirements mentioned above need an integrated system to fulfill.
To fulfill the requirements, a charging station that can provide battery exchange service which allows a user to exchange a low power battery for a fully charged battery to save waiting time is desperately needed. However, to successfully manage such a battery exchange service also needs to have corresponding hardware systems to carry out such goal.
Traditional charging station, as disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0013434 and 2012/0022685, mainly provides a charging booth for an electric vehicle to physically connect to, such as a gasoline station. However, for a battery in low power to be fully charged may take hours, and drivers might not have that time and patience.
Please refer to FIG. 1. U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0013434 provides a charging station operable in a charging cycle for charging an electric vehicle. The charging station has a key-activated controller for controlling the charging cycle. The application also relates to a key for operating the charging station. Furthermore, the application relates to a charging station having an interface for connecting the charging station to a data network. The application also relates to a charging station having a socket for receiving a plug and a key-operated locking mechanism for locking a plug in said socket. A frangible panel movable between an open position and a closed position may be provided. A processor may be provided for generating data to impose a financial charge on an individual for using the charging station. However, it still cannot fulfill the aforementioned requirements.
Please refer to FIG. 2. U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0022685 discloses a method for operating an electric charging station within a parking area proposes operating an electric charging station within a parking area. An identification device is used by a user when entering into the parking area, wherein the identification device provides a unique identification, wherein a current supply device of the charging station is activated by the user by using the identification device whereupon the current supply device is available for a charging process. However, it fails to fulfill the aforementioned requirements.
Hence, a solution to fulfill the above mentioned requirements for electric vehicle battery charging is desperately desired.